Thorns
by Violet Theirin
Summary: A companion piece to "The Rose Of The Alienage", "Thorns" follows the life of Eruthiawen Tabris and the events that made her the woman that she was.
1. PrologueThe Purge

_A/N: Bioware owns it all...I'm just borrowin'!_

_This story is intended as a companion piece to my story "The Rose Of The Alienage". Thorns covers the origins of Eruthiawen Tabris and the events in her life that made her the woman that she was, from the death of her mother to the birth of her daughter. I hope you enjoy and please please please review and let me know what you think!_

_As always I couldn't do it without my friends and betas/cookie tasters **Ladyamesindy**, **Erynnar**, and **Piceron**. Please check out their stories, they are all absolute masterpieces!_

_Oh and for all of my "Rose" and "Salvation" readers, there will be new chapters coming for both stories. Life has gotten a bit crazy as I have been trying to get two of my three kids ready to go to school in a couple of weeks. Once they are in school it will give me lots and lots of free time to get back down to the business of writing so stay tuned!_

_**~Love One Another~**_

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_Flames licked the night sky as screams echoed off of the high stone walls surrounding Denerim's elven alienage. The purge had been going on for two hours and did not look to be ending anytime soon. The small huts were aflame casting ghostly shadows upon the bodies of men, women and children alike._

_Earlier that evening an elven man who had a bit too much ale picked a fight with the wrong person…a human. A brawl ensued resulting in the death of the both of them, but the damage had been done. As soon as word spread across the capital city of Ferelden that a human had met his demise at the hands of an elf an army of men was formed. This group of a hundred men tore through the Alienage like a hurricane, leaving a path of death, blood and fire from one side to the next._

_The sound of the first gate falling jarred Cyrion from his sleep. He ran and looked out the window of the small one room apartment that he shared with his wife, Adaia and daughter Eruthiawen. Upon seeing the wave of torches as they made their way across the Alienage he decided that they needed to get out of the house. Quickly he woke his wife and bundled his eight year old daughter up in blankets and they slipped into the alleyway behind their home._

_Eruthiawen began to stir within her father's arms. "Wha…what is going on Papa?_

_Cyrion bundled his daughter tighter within the blankets. "Shhh…be very quiet Ruthi, it will all be okay."_

_As they neared the end of the alleyway Adaia ran ahead of her husband and daughter in an attempt to find a route that they could use to escape. She came back, a worried look stretched upon her face. "It is no good Cyrion, they are everywhere...what are we going to do?_

_"Pssst…"_

_A sound behind them caused Cyrion to turn quickly. There he saw the elven shopkeeper, Alarith peeking out his own backdoor. "Come in here…quickly. We can hide in the cellar."_

_Adaia looked at the man with confusion. "I didn't know you had a cell…."_

_"Do you want to stand here and debate it's existence or get inside where it is safe?" Alarith interrupted impatiently._

_Adaia nodded as she, her husband and their daughter made their way into the shop. _

_Once inside Alarith pushed on a seemingly normal floorboard behind the counter, causing a trapdoor to spring open from the floor. "Get in…quickly."_

_Upon entering the cellar Adaia noticed a solitary window that faced out into the alley. She pulled a nearby crate to the wall and stood on it as she peeked outside. Though the window was half covered with the ground itself and the remainder of it was blocked by a large shrub, she had a fairly clear view of the back door of the apartment that her sister Vevina shared with her husband Anlon and their two young children, Soris and Shianni._

_She continued to watch the house, intent on pulling Vevina and her family in to the cellar with her when they emerged. After several uneventful minutes she noticed the back door slowly inching it's way open. Adaia then saw her sister urging her children out the door, into the empty alley way. She could see her mouthing the words "Run, hide…I love you both." Before there was a loud noise and the door was snapped shut. _

_Soris grabbed his little sister by the hand and pulled her in to an empty merchant's cart that sat just behind Alarith's shop._

_Adaia turned to face her husband and Alarith. "Quick! We have to help them! Shianni and Soris are hiding in the cart behind the shop." _

_Adaia jumped from the crate and began up the ladder before Cyrion grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down. "No Adaia…you can't go up there."_

_"I can and I will, now let me go Cyrion."_

_"No, your husband is right. You stay here with Eruthiawen. Cyrion and I will get the children." Alarith walked over to a stack of large crates that sat in the middle of the cellar. He quickly unlocked and threw open the lid to one of them and pulled two swords from within, keeping one for himself and handing one to Cyrion._

_Adaia looked into the crate and noticed that it was full of different weapons and armor. "Why in the Maker's name do you…"_

_"No time to explain…we must get the children." Alarith turned and made his way up the ladder into the main part of the shop._

_"You stay here…do not follow us." Cyrion looked at his wife, his voice half demanding, half begging. "Promise me Adaia…stay put."_

_"I will. Just get the children!" Adaia pushed her husband by the shoulder toward the ladder._

_Adaia took a moment to comfort her visibly shaken daughter. "It will be alright Ruthi...it will be over soon." She smiled sweetly as she tousled the girl's red hair._

_She then quickly jumped up on the crate and looked back into the alleyway just in time to see Alarith pulling Shianni from the cart and handing her to Cyrion. Soris jumped out after her and the group made their way back inside the shop. _

_Adaia then felt a gentle tugging at the hem of her dress. She turned to see her daughter's dark green eyes staring up at her. "Mama, what is going on? Are Shianni and Soris okay?"_

_Adaia gave her daughter a reassuring smile. "They are fine love. Papa and Alarith are coming back with them right now."_

_"What about Aunt Vevina and Uncle Anlon?"_

_Before she could respond, the sound of breaking glass pulled her attention back to the alleyway. She gasped loudly as she noticed bright orange flames dancing from the windows of her sister's house; a mob of humans stood outside watching it burn…laughing. _

_Suddenly the door that Shianni and Soris had just come out of swung open. Vevina and Anlon emerged from inside, gasping for air. Before even a word could be uttered one of the men grabbed Adaia's sister by her hair, throwing her back inside the burning house. He quickly grabbed a nearby plank and jammed it up against the door; trapping her inside. _

_Anlon ran at the man, hoping to knock him down long enough to be able to free his wife. However the human was too quick for the elven man. By the time Anlon got to him he had already unsheathed a dagger from his boot, jamming it into the elf's chest upon impact. Laughing he pushed Anlon off of the dagger and into the arms of another human who laughingly slit his throat. _

_All the while the screams of Vevina echoed through the alleyway as she burned within her own home._

_Adaia felt a lump set itself within her throat; she quickly leapt from her perch by the window and ran straight for the crate that Alarith pulled the swords from. She grabbed a set of daggers that rested at the top of the stack but before she could move two steps past her current position Cyrion and Alarith came down the ladder with the children._

"_They killed them. Those bastards will pay for what they did!" Adaia pushed past the group, making her way toward the ladder._

"_Adaia stop!" Cyrion grabbed her by the arm. "Going up there will accomplish nothing but getting yourself killed."_

"_Let go of me Cyrion! You did not see what they did to her!"_

_During the argument Alarith led the children over to a small sofa on the other side of the cellar. When he came back he grabbed Adaia by the shoulder and turned her to face him. "As a matter of fact we did."_

"_The humans came along the side of the house just as we were walking through the door to the shop." Cyrion gently turned her cheek so that she would look him in the eyes. "We could not risk opening the cellar door as the movement might alert the humans to our hiding place. We took the children behind the counter to wait it out. We saw everything."_

_Adaia gasped. "You mean the children saw…"_

"_We were able to get Shianni out of eyesight before anything happened. Soris on the other hand saw Vevina being shoved back into the house." Cyrion replied._

_Adaia glanced over to her nephew who was sitting on the opposite side of the sofa as his sister and cousin. He looked pale, his mind seemingly distant as he stared off into nothingness. "No nine year old….or any child for that matter should see that happen to their parents."_

_Cyrion squeezed his wife's arm. "All the more reason for you to stay down here; there is nothing you can do for Vevina or Anlon…nothing, but Soris and Shianni are going to need you more than ever."_

_Adaia nodded in agreement as she stole one more glance out the window at the burning house._

Eruthiawen gasped as she sat straight up in bed, finally able to pull herself from the nightmare of a memory that played in her head. She had these dreams frequently and wished that they would stop. The events of the purge occurred over twelve years ago and though she was quite young at the time she could remember them like it happened only yesterday.

That one solitary night changed her life…so many lives forever. She was never able to see her dear Aunt and Uncle again, Soris and Shianni went to live with their father's mother on the other side of the Alienage, and though Adaia was never fond of humans to begin with she hated them even more now.

Adaia worked tirelessly for three years trying to find justice for her sister. She sought out any human that she thought even remotely had anything to do with the purge, pressing them for answers, threatening…until one day she threatened the wrong person.

In an alleyway she ran across one of the men that stood in a crowd laughing at her brother-in-law as his throat was slit. In an instant she had the man pushed against a stone wall, her own dagger pushed into his throat. "I'm going to enjoy this…" was all that she was able to mutter before she was grabbed from behind by a group of guards and was dragged off; never to be heard from again.

Eruthiawen took a deep breath, doing her best to push the memories to the back of her mind where she felt they belonged. "I have got to get some sleep, Soris' wedding is in a few hours…must…get…some…" and with one more deep breath Eruthiawen drifted back off into a deep slumber.


	2. Kicking and Screaming

_A/N: Bioware owns it all (including the majority of my freetime).'_

_Thank you all for tuning in! As always big thanks and hugs to my betas** Erynnar, Ladyamesindy,** and** Piceron **who keep me on my toes and don't let me get away with a thing...thank you ladies!_

_Also thanks to my reviewers for the prologue **Ladyamesindy, Piceron, Erynnar, Jedi Padme, LadyElle00, **and** BubblesScream-jahm-4. **I swear your reviews are like a drug! Keep 'em coming!_

_**~Love One Another~**_

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It seemed to Eruthiawen that she had only just closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep when a soft whisper began pulling her from her slumber once again.

"Ruthi...Eruthiawen, wake up! Why are you still in bed? It's your big day!"

Eruthiawen groaned as she rubbed the sleep from her tired eyes and searched for the source of the interruption. "What…why are you in my room Shianni?"

Shianni giggled as she plopped down on the bed beside her cousin. "Because, I begged Uncle Cyrion to let me deliver the news! You do remember what today is don't you?"

As Ruthi was finally becoming awake enough to be coherent she started to notice the smell of ale that lingered on every word that came from her cousin's mouth. Eruthiawen dramatically waved her hand in front of her nose. "Judging by your breath it's get-drunk-before-noon day."

Shianni playfully slapped her cousin in the back of the head as she laughed. "No you idiot! You're getting married today!"

Ruthi pulled closer to Shianni and stared intently into her eyes. "Are you still drunk? I think you must be confused…_Soris_ is getting married today…not me!"

Shianni giggled as she stood from the bed and walked across the room toward an old trunk sitting in the corner. "Yes…Soris is getting married, but you are too! That's the news that I came to deliver, your groom, Nelaros, he's here early!"

Ruthi let out an exasperated sigh as Shianni lifted a simple wedding dress from the trunk and hung it from a hook on the wall. Ruthi knew all about Nelaros, the betrothed whom her father had chosen for her, she was never thrilled at the prospect of forced marriage but she found comfort in the fact that the wedding wasn't to occur for another few months; this bit of news came as a glancing blow.

Ruthi leaned against the wall, pulling her knees to her chest and scrunching her face in an effort to show her displeasure. "I do not like the idea of this arranged marriage business." She growled.

Shianni who had begun smoothing out the wrinkles in the dress that hung from the wall shook her head and chuckled lightly. "Well…who else are you going to marry? Besides, I already snuck a peek…he's _handsome_"

"Well that just makes it _all_ better." Ruthi snapped back sarcastically; turning her head away from her still smiling cousin.

Shianni once again sat beside her cousin putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into an embrace. "There's going to be music, decorations, feasting…weddings are so much fun! You're so lucky!"

Ruthi did her best not to look at the bubbly redhead, as annoying as Shianni could be at times Ruthi found it near impossible to be anything but sweet to her. Shianni knew this and used it to her advantage, grabbing Ruthi by the chin and turning her head to face her. Shianni then rested her forehead upon Eruthiawen's . "Come on, it won't be so bad…I promise."

Ruthi finally let a smile escape as she teased. "You just want to get to the drinking."

Shianni kissed her upon the forehead and stood from the bed laughing. "Which won't happen if you don't get going, will it?" Shianni turned and pulled closed the curtain that separated the bedroom from the rest of the house. "Now…let's get you dressed."

Ruthi pulled off the old night shift that she was wearing and stepped into the wedding dress. Once the dress was pulled up and in place Shianni began lacing the back of it. The dress was pretty, but simple and it fit Ruthi well. Once the dress was on Shianni helped her cousin tie back her hair into a neat bun, allowing a couple pieces of stray hair to fall from the front, framing her face.

Ruthi stood up and looked in the mirror; hardly recognizing the woman staring back at her. Shianni wrapped her arms around her cousin and smiled. "Well...at least you clean up nice."

Eruthiawen tilted her head to rest against Shianni's cheek and rested her hand upon her cousin's arm. "Thank you, for everything."

"What are cousins for, right?" With one last squeeze Shianni turned and began to walk out of the room but stopped abruptly and gasped as she turned around. "Oh! I almost forgot! Soris said that he will be waiting for you outside!"

"Where at outside?"

Shianni shrugged as she left the room. "I dunno..."

"You are a veritable fountain of information...you know that?" Ruthi called after her.

Ruthi straightened out the bed and hung up her night shift before stealing one more glance in the mirror. "_You can do this.._" she thought to herself before turning and walking into the main part of the house.

Eruthiawen noticed her father staring out the window by the front door, she gently cleared her throat to alert him to her presence so she would not startle him.

Cyrion turned to face his daughter and upon seeing her standing there in her wedding dress his eyes lit up; a smile stretched across his face. "Ah, my little girl…" Cyrion kissed his daughter on the cheek and then took a step back, admiring her once more. "I suppose this is the last time that I will be able to call you that. Oh, how I wish your mother could have been here!"

As much as Ruthi wanted to feign happiness and share this moment with her father she knew that this was her last chance to try to convince him that this was a big mistake. "_It may be futile…but at least I'll know I tried_." She thought to herself

Ruthi folded her arms in front of her chest and did her best to make her face look completely serious. "Papa, we need to talk about this arrangement."

A bit of the smile fell from his face. "Still not happy I see, of course we can talk." Cyrion motioned for his daughter to sit at the small table near the window.

"Do I really have to get married?"

Cyrion could not help but laugh. For all of her effort to be serious, she was still his little girl, pouting her lip and batting her eyes in an attempt to win him over to her side. He reached out and took her hand in his, patting it gently. "It's time for you to have your own life. Unmarried you're a child forever. The dowry has been paid, the Chantry has issued the permit, and everything is ready. All we need is you."

Ruthi scrunched her brow and gave her father a perplexed look. "Wait, you paid a dowry for my groom?"

"There's a lot to arranging marriages. Probably the biggest factor is deciding which spouse travels to which alienage. One side gets new blood and a new face, and the other side loses a family member. The dowry helps even things out."

Ruthi frowned, pulling her hands from her father's and turning her eyes from his. "You should have just saved your money."

Cyrion laughed as he stood from the table. "Just be glad I chose the match. Without parents to represent you, children like your cousin Soris end up marrying whoever the elder can find." He then started rummaging through an old armoire.

Ruthi knew that armoire held the majority of her mother's things and that her father rarely opened it; the memory of losing her too painful for him to bear. Feeling the mood in the room changing as her father rifled through her mother's things, Ruthi decided to continue the conversation. "So, who did the elder choose for Soris?"

"I don't know; I haven't met the girl. You should go and see for yourself, if you're curious." Cyrion pulled a medium size box from the very bottom of the armoire and peeked inside. Upon observing the contents he smiled warmly and set the box down on a nearby chair. " All right, time for you to go find Soris. The sooner this wedding starts the less chance you two have to escape."

Eruthiawen flashed her father an impish grin. "A small chance is still a chance."

"Still have your mother's smart mouth I see."

Ruthi grinned and kissed her father on the cheek but as she turned to leave she was quickly pulled back.

"Oh, one last thing before you go, my dear. Your martial training…the swordplay, knives and whatever else your mother trained you in; best not to mention it to your betrothed." Cyrion furrowed his brow, looking almost nervous to discover her reaction to his statement.

Eruthiawen let out a loud sigh as she rolled her eyes. "He's going to find out sooner or later."

"Later…definitely later; we don't want to look like trouble makers. Adaia made that mistake."

Ruthi stole a moment to remember the hours that she spent practicing fighting with daggers and her bow and arrows at the behest of her mother. After the purge, Adaia was insistent that Eruthiawen, Soris and Shianni knew how to defend themselves. "Mamae was a clever rogue."

The elf gave his daughter a melancholy smile. "That she was." Cyrion then quickly snatched the box that he had retrieved from the chair and thrust it into his daughter's arms. "Here…take this. Your mother would have wanted you to have them."

Ruthi gingerly removed the lid from the box and gasped as she removed the contents. "Mamae's boots!" She grinned ear to ear as she kicked off the dull brown slippers that she had been wearing; she then plopped down in the chair and began putting the boots on as her father continued.

"It's the very least I can give you, as you start your new life."

"They are perfect Papa, thank you!" Ruthi pulled up the bottom of her dress slightly to admire the boots she had just strapped to her feet. She ran to her father and threw her arms around his neck. "I love you Papa. Thank you, thank you!"

Ruthi then turned and began to run out the door but stopped abruptly once again at the sound of Cyrion's voice. "You aren't going to wear those to get married…are you?"

"If I'm going to be forced to go through with this thing, I am at least going to be comfortable!"

"Well…very well…I suppose." Cyrion could do nothing to hide the mortified look on his face but he figured that if this is what it would take to get his daughter to the ceremony that he would just have to grin and bear it. "Go on, I still have some things to do, and Soris is no doubt waiting for you."

Ruthi gave her father one last quick peck on the cheek, then turned and walked out the door.

The atmosphere outside was light and cheerful. Crowds of people were gathered all around the Alienage; drinking, laughing, and talking. She decided that since the events of the day were inevitable she would do all that she could to make the best of it and who knows, maybe it wouldn't be as bad as she made herself believe.

Not far outside the house she heard a group of elven men laughing loudly near the closed Alienage gate. Ruthi decided that she would sneak a little closer and see what exactly was so funny. The closer she got, the more noticeable the stench of ale became, she crouched down behind a set of stairs and listened as one of the men entertained his friends with a dirty rhyme.

"Oh, there once was a woman she lived in the sea. I didn't love her but I think she loved me. I brought her diamonds, rubies, silver and gold but all that she wanted was to be saved from the cold. She begged me to catch her, convinced me I should! I promised her a house, all grey stone and wood. We made love in the sea, we made love on the shore. I was just there for playin' but she wanted more. But there's one small problem see, I can't grant her wish. My wife gets suspicious when I come home smellin' like fish!"

The group's drunken laughter rang loudly off of the alienage walls. Ruthi decided to have a bit of fun with the inebriated men folk. She put on a big smile as she approached the fellow who had just recited the rhyme. "Good day gentlemen!"

All three of the men jumped at the sound of her voice. The "poet" hiccupped loudly as he responded to her greeting "Well, hello. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes…w-what are you doing?"

"Oh just doing the rounds…collecting wedding presents."

The men began muttering excitedly as they rummaged around in their pockets. Once they seemed to come to some sort of agreement one of the elves looked up. "We thought cash would be better. Spends easier!"

"Right. Right! Yeah, we gathered up…uh…thirty bits! That's a pretty good…wedding present for anyone." His friend chimed in, holding a handful of bits out in front of him.

Ruthi smiled, she was tempted to just take the thirty bits and be satisfied but after a moment's thought she decided she would see if she could get a bit more…after all, if they have the spare money to spend getting pissed on bad ale, surely they had a few coins to spare for a woman who was getting ready to start her adult life. "Well…forty bits IS more traditional."

"Right, right…you're right...don't mind us, we're a bit tipsy." The men once again dug in their pockets hurriedly. ". Here's ten bits to top it off. Now, you go celebrate your big day and we'll do the same! Big day…lots of celebrating…"

"Thank you boys…" Ruthi gave the men a sly smile as she turned and began walking toward the large tree in the center of the Alienage.

In the distance she could see Soris, leaning against a much smaller tree, tapping his foot nervously. _"I had better hurry or he is going to pass out!"_

She picked up the pace but before she could get much further she was stopped again, this time by a man and a woman who looked to be about her father's age. The man gave her a kind smile as his wife stepped in front of Ruthi. "Well, it's the lucky bride herself! Hello dear!"

The woman's husband noticed the confused look on Eruthiawen's face and pulled his wife back a little. "Now love, she probably doesn't remember us."

The woman chuckled as she lightly slapped herself on the forehead. "Oh, of course. I'm Dilwyn and this is Gethon. We were friends of your mother's. We haven't seen you since she…well…"

It was rare that Eruthiawen got to meet anyone outside of her immediate family that knew her mother. Her father did his best to shield her from a lot of the events that surrounded her death, in fact he rarely even talked about his deceased wife. "What can you tell me about my mother?"

Dilwyn shot a concerned glance at Gethon, obviously unsure of what was okay to talk about.

Gethon gave her a slight smile and took a step forward. "Your father still doesn't speak of her, does he?"

Ruthi shook her head.

"Adaia was beautiful, and full of life…and a bit…wild." Dilwyn chimed in.

Gethon placed a warm hand on Ruthi's shoulder. "She wanted you more than anything. It's sad she never got to see you all grown up."

"We just wanted to see you today, and give you our best wishes." Dilwyn added sweetly. Ruthi patted the man's hand as she smiled politely at both of them.

"Thank you." Ruthi replied as she once again tried to get to Soris.

But once again she was stopped, this time by Gethon who thrust a number of silver coins into the young woman's hand. "We've saved a bit of money for this day. We'd…we'd like you to have it to help start your new life."

Eruthiawen opened her mouth to object but before she could get a word out Gethon squeezed her hand closed over the small pile of coins. "I insist and I will not take no for an answer."

This was one argument that Ruthi knew she had no chance of winning, she instead kissed Gethon and Dilwyn each on the cheek. "Thank you, I am honored." She gave each of them a quick hug then quickly made her way once again in Soris' direction, determined not to be stopped again.

Soris gave her his signature goofy smile as she approached the tree that he was leaning against. He used his foot to push himself off of it and took a few steps in her direction. "Well if it isn't my lucky cousin, come to celebrate the end of our independence together?"

Eruthiawen gave her cousin a big hug but before letting him go she whispered loudly in his ear

"Is running away still an option? I'm sure if we were smart about it we could be well outside the city walls before they even noticed we were gone."

Soris laughed loudly as their embrace was broken. "Are you insane? Where would we go? Into the woods to live with the Dalish elves?"

Ruthi gave him an impish grin. "It could happen…"

"Live in the forest with the savages, far from humans? Sounds like a dream." Soris stopped a moment as he took in what he had just said. "Hmm…on second thought, that idea has merit. Not that we'd know where to find them. Besides, why would you run? Apparently, your groom's a dream come true. My bride sounds like a dying mouse."

Ruthi's eyes lit up as she pushed her cousin playfully on the shoulder. "I know…maybe someone can get you a cage as a wedding present!"

Soris snorted loudly causing the nearby elves to give him curious glances. He quickly composed himself and muttered under his breath "You're terrible."

Eruthiawen stuck her tongue out at her cousin.

"Come on…let's go introduce you to your dreamy betrothed before you say 'I do.'" Soris interlocked his arm with hers as he pulled Eruthiawen kicking and screaming into her future, at least mentally kicking and screaming. Ruthi sighed and smiled as she and Soris made their way back in the direction of her home.


	3. At First Sight

_A/N: Bioware owns all...I'm simply leeching off of their creative brilliance._

_Thank you all for being such loyal readers. I am currently working on getting caught up on all of my stories. My muse decided to take off to Cabo for some sort of illicit affair and only just returned...and for some reason was inspired to work on this story...but, I have learned it is best not to question her, she gets grumpy. I'm about 1/4 of the way done with the next chapter of Rose Of The Alienage then I believe will come Tangled Web...just as a bit of an update._

_Huge thanks to my readers and an extra hug to my reviewers: **Ladyamesindy, Erynnar, BubblesScream-jahm4, **and **galesong1234**. You truly keep the fire lit under my butt and I thank you!_

_Big hugs, kisses and kudos go out to my three beautiful betas **Ladyamesindy, Erynnar and Piceron**. Why on earth they put up with me and my nonsense is anyone's guess but I thank my lucky stars every day for having them in my life._

**_~Love One Another~_**

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Ruthi and Soris made their around the Vhenadahl in the center of the Alienage, heading back toward Cyrion's house.

With so many things racing through her mind Ruthi was, to say the very least, distracted. She in fact was so lost in thought that she did not notice Taeodor, one of Soris' best friends, standing in front of her until she nearly walked right over him.

"Oh!" Ruthi jumped back as her heart leapt into her throat. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there." Ruthi's cheeks reddened with embarrassment.

Taeodor gave her a kind smile. "No harm done!" He then glanced over her shoulder and nodded when he noticed Soris standing behind her. "Well, there's the man of the hour, how are you Soris?"

"I'm well." Soris smiled as he placed an arm around his cousin's shoulder and grinned. "This, is my cousin the bride!" He noted a hint of what he thought to be curiosity in Taeodor's eyes and scrambled to clarify his statement. "I mean the _other_ bride…not _my_ bride."

Ruthi rolled her eyes and Taeodor chuckled. "We've met, on occasion. Blessings on the day to both of you."

This time it was Ruthi who threw her arm around Soris as she nudged his hip playfully with her own and teased. "Poor Soris isn't feeling very blessed."

He let out a sigh in agreement. "True enough." Soris then shrugged as his cousin's arm dropped from his shoulder and admitted, "Still, better to be married and have a real life than to remain a child forever."

Soris noticed a strange look in Taeodor's eyes. Having grown up together he could tell that something was definitely amiss with his friend and it concerned him. "Taeodor, is something bothering you; you're acting strangely…"

Taeodor let out a heavy sigh, "There…is something you should know Soris. My brothers won't be coming." The blonde elf hesitated for a moment as a look of embarrassment took over his face. "They…they left to find the Dalish."

Soris did his best to stifle the laugh that he felt beginning to creep up his throat. "You mean the elves who still live in the woods?"

Taeodor groaned. "Unfortunately, yes. Even Alarith swears that the Dalish elves saved him on his way to Denerim." He shook his head and scoffed in disgust. "Nonsense if you ask me."

"Wait, you mean Alarith the shopkeeper?" Ruthi cocked her head in curiosity. In all of the years that she knew Alarith she didn't remember him ever mentioning the Dalish elves, let alone talk about them rescuing him.

Taeodor nodded, the look of disgust still etched upon his face. "Indeed. He told my brothers that when he was fleeing his homeland, he found the Dalish…or they found him…" He shrugged and shook his head. "Honestly, I don't really remember which it was for sure."

Soris gave his friend a pat on the shoulder and a reassuring smile. "Well, I wouldn't worry about it. They were probably just taken in by another old story." Soris held out his hand and gave Taeodor's a friendly shake. "Taeodor, it was great seeing you. I'm sure your brothers will show up in a few days, embarrassed and hungry."

The elf returned the handshake and gave Soris and Ruthi a half-smile. "I hope so. I suppose I should go. Best wishes to you both."

"Bye Taeodor." Ruthi said quietly as she patted him on the shoulder. "It will be alright, I'm sure of it."

Taeodor squeezed Ruthi's shoulder and nodded as he turned and walked around the other side of the Vhenadahl.

Soris noticed his cousin hesitating to move and shifted his position so that his face was directly in her line of sight. "Hey, are you nervous?"

Ruthi shrugged and nodded her head. "Somewhat. It's just surprising you know? I wasn't expecting this to happen for another couple of months at least, yet here we are."

Soris chuckled lightly. "I know. One minute it's a simple ceremony. The next it's a double wedding spectacle."

"I think really that this is just the Maker's revenge for me teasing you so much about your wedding coming first and my constant reminders that I had more time to escape." Ruthi laughed and shook her head. "Guess he showed me, didn't he?"

Soris slugged his cousin's shoulder playfully. "Hey, I had forgotten about that! I guess it serves you right then!" He tilted his head toward the house that Ruthi shared with her father. "Well, lets get this over with."

Ruthi nodded but before they walked more than two steps Ruthi caught sight of Alarith's shop out of the corner of her eye. "Hey, Soris; wait just a second. I want to speak to Alarith for a  
moment." Ruthi sprinted toward the door of the shop.

Soris quickly caught up to his cousin and as she reached for the door handle he asked, "What do you need to see Alarith for?"

Ruthi grinned and turned to look back at Soris. "I want to ask him about the Dalish!"

Soris groaned and rolled his eyes. "Not you too…I thought you grew out of fairy stories years ago."

Ruthi shook her head at her cousin as they stepped in the door of the small shop. "Always so negative…"

"I prefer the term 'realistic' but think what you like."

Alarith was behind the counter, busy wrapping up a woman's order so Ruthi and Soris began looking around at the various items in the shop.

Soris stopped to talk to another acquaintance of his and Ruthi's, an elf by the name of Andaer. Andaer was around Shianni's age and had moved to the Alienage a couple of years ago from a small village in the south called _Honnleath_.

Since moving to Denerim, Andaer had developed a bit of an infatuation with Shianni and as usual the focus of the conversation was mostly centered on her. After telling Andaer what Shianni's favorite colors were for what he reckoned was the hundredth time Soris noticed the elf's brow begin to furrow in confusion. Soris turned to see Ruthi holding up a small bird cage, shaking it in his direction and laughing.

"I found your wedding gift, Soris!" She then took the tag hanging from it in her hand and glanced at it. "Oh and look, it's even on sale; I can afford to get your bride something too! Do you think she would like some hard candy…or are you just going to give her a block of wood to gnaw on?" Ruthi began laughing hysterically, obviously very amused by her own joke.

Soris found himself once again choking back a laugh as he looked to a still confused Andaer.  
"Don't mind her. She thinks she is being clever."

Andaer furrowed his brow deeper as he scrunched his nose. "What's funny about a birdcage…and why would you give your bride wood to chew on?"

Soris sighed and shook his head. "Long story…"

The woman who Alarith had been helping then walked past Soris with her bundle of items and gestured toward the counter as a way to signal that Alarith was now free. Soris said a quick goodbye to a seemingly still confused Andaer and walked over to the merchant with Ruthi.

Alarith smiled at the pair as they approached but then shot them a questioning glance as he asked, "What are you two doing here? Shouldn't you be getting ready for your weddings?"

Ruthi shrugged. "I don't figure they will start without us, though I wouldn't object to such a thing." She rested her elbow on the counter as she leaned forward and placed her chin in the palm of her hand. "I wanted to ask you about the Dalish."

Alarith crossed his arms and cocked his head to one side. "Did you now? Well, there isn't much time for stories. There are a couple of weddings that will be starting soon."

Ruthi stood from the counter and held out her hand in a way to stop the lecture that she knew was about to begin. "Just tell me Alarith: Are the Dalish real?"

Alarith sighed heavily but decided to just answer the question, knowing full well just how headstrong the girl was. He knew that more time would be spent arguing with her about not answering than if he just answered the question and got it over with. "I believe that they are…though they are probably not exactly the way that the elders describe."

Before another question could come his way, Alarith motioned toward the door. "If you want to hear more, we'll go for some ale _after_ you're married. Now get going!"

"Oh, fine." Ruthi grumbled, but gave the shopkeeper a friendly smile before turning to leave. As she began to pull the door to the shop open, Ruthi looked back at the man. "I hope you know that I am going to hold you to your word!"

Alarith chuckled lightly and nodded. "I would expect no less of you, my dear."

Ruthi closed the door of the shop and turned to look into the eyes of a very impatient looking Soris. "Now, if you are done with the delaying tactics for the moment, can we _please_ proceed? I really would like to get this over with."

Letting out an exasperated breath Ruthi gave in. "Oh, fine…let's go before you have a  
breakdown. No one wants to see you all weepy."

The pair made their way around the Vhenadahl and as they approached the corner that rounded to Cyrion's house they noticed a large crowd gathered there. Shianni was amongst them and when she noticed her brother and cousin she smiled and waved, motioning for them to join her.

Ruthi waved back but before she could take a step forward a scream came from the back of the crowd. Ruthi craned her neck in an attempt to find the source of the scream. Her vision locked in on her bridesmaid, Mari as she was attempting to pull away from a human man who had grabbed her by the arms. Upon closer inspection Ruthi concluded that he was no doubt the son of some stuffed shirt noble; this fact made obvious by his overly extravagant clothes and smug smile.

Mari screamed again. "Let go of me! Stop, please!" She finally managed to pull away from him and ran to hide behind her brother who was standing nearby.

Ruthi noticed that there were three humans in total and they were all standing behind the women, laughing.

The tallest of them, an ugly redhead who excreted arrogance from every pore stepped forward and looked to each of his cronies. "It's a party, isn't it? Grab a whore and have a good time." His focus then noticeably turned to Shianni who stood facing the man, glaring. "Take this little elven wench here…so young and vulnerable."

The man began to reach out for her arm but was taken by surprise when the small redheaded elf not only pulled away from him but proceeded to point a delicate finger in his face as she glared directly into his eyes. "Touch me and I'll gut you, you pig!" Shianni spat at his feet.

Andaer was in the midst of the crowd but stepped to the forefront in an attempt to take the focus off of Shianni. "Please ser, we don't want any trouble!"

It worked, the human's gaze broke from Shianni's as he turned to Andaer and growled. "Silence, worm!" He then pulled his arm back and swung at the frightened elf, hitting him forcefully across the head.

Ruthi felt her blood begin to boil as she watched Andaer fall in a heap on the ground at Shianni's feet. Ruthi clenched her fists and began in the direction of the chaos but was quickly pulled back by a stern hand on her shoulder.

She turned to glare at the owner of the hand, Soris, who stood behind her shaking his head. "I know what you're thinking, but maybe we shouldn't get involved."

Ruthi's stomach churned at her cousin's cowardice but decided to deal with it later. She grabbed Soris' hand and threw it angrily from her shoulder. "Objection noted, now stay out of my way."

Soris once again reached out and pulled Ruthi toward him. "Fine. But let's try to be diplomatic, shall we?"

Ruthi rolled her eyes and stomped toward the man who was standing over Andaer's unconscious form lying upon the ground. Ruthi then placed herself abruptly between the human and the other elves and crossed her arms in defiance. "It's time you left, Shem."

He scoffed at the small woman standing before him. "What's this? Another lovely one come to keep me company." He then ran his hand along Ruthi's cheek before tangling his fingers in her hair, pulling her in to try to kiss her."

"Dream on, human!" Ruthi quickly grabbed the offending hand and pushed hard into a pressure point that her mother taught her about years ago. "And unless you would like to lose this appendage….or others for that matter, I suggest you _never_ touch me….or any elf ever again." She let go of the pressure point as she threw his hand down to his side.

The human stepped closer to Ruthi and seethed "Do you have _any_ idea who I am?"

Ruthi instead of stepping back, got right up into his face; so close in fact that their noses touched for an instant. "Do you have _any_ inclination that I actually give a damn about your pompous arse?"

Ruthi stepped back and prepared herself to be struck as she watched the man once again pull his arm back, but a slight glint of light stole her focus as she noticed Shianni standing behind the human, pulling a large bottle of ale back and then forcefully thrusting it at his head.

The crowd gasped as the man fell forward, literally landing on top of Ruthi's feet. She worked to free herself as one of his cronies made their way to the unconscious human's side. He looked first at the heap of a man on the ground and then turned to stare at Shianni, who still held the now cracked bottle in her hand. "Are you insane? This is Vaughan Urien, the Arl of Denerim's son!"

Shianni dropped the bottle to the ground, breaking it upon impact and brought her hands up to cover her mouth. "W-what? Oh, Maker…"

Ruthi grabbed the back of the man's shirt and whipped him around to face her. "Maybe his father should've taught him better manners. Maker knows he has enough coin to spare for charm and etiquette lessons."

The other human stepped forward and pushed Ruthi's shoulder. "You've got a lot of nerve, knife-ears. This'll go badly for you."

The man turned to help the other noble-brat pick their big mouthed leader's limp body from the ground.

Ruthi called after him, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh no, please don't…I'm _ever_ so scared…just look at me shake."

She then turned to face the crowd of elves that stood behind her and noticed that the majority of them looked absolutely mortified. Shianni approached her cousin, a panic stricken look upon her face. "Oh, I really messed up this time."

Her brother placed a supportive arm around her and squeezed. "It'll be alright. He won't tell anyone that an elven woman took him down."

"I hope so." Shianni sighed and glanced down at her dress, the bottom of which was covered in a mixture of dirt and ale. "I…I should go get cleaned up."

Soris kissed his sister upon the forehead and turned to the other women. "Is everybody else alright?"

Before anyone else could answer a whiny high pitched voice chimed in. "I think we're just shaken." Soris jumped back as the source of the voice stepped before him; a skinny looking young elven woman who had the biggest ears that he had ever seen. "What was that about?"

Ruthi, who had been helping a now conscious…albeit confused Andaer to his feet swallowed back a laugh as she mused to herself, _This has got to be the betrothed…Maker, he wasn't lying at all…she looks like an oversized field mouse! _Ruthi noted the look of agony on her cousin's face as he looked at the woman standing before him. _Poor Soris…_

Ruthi's vision was then drawn to another elf that stepped forward to stand beside mouse-woman. He was very fair skinned, blonde, with kind, steel colored eyes. Ruthi stood and made her way quickly to stand in front of him. _Wow…good job Papa…maybe this __**won't**__ be so bad… _

Soris did his best to calm his frazzled fiancée. "Looks like the arl's son started drinking too early…um…let's not let this ruin the day." Soris then glanced to his side to notice his cousin staring absentmindedly at the man in front of her. "Uh Ruthi…this is my betrothed, Valora."

Valora smiled and reached out a hand in friendship toward Ruthi but shot Soris a worried look as Ruthi's gaze never turned from the man's face.

Soris began to speak but before he could say a word Ruthi held her hand out toward the blonde elf. "Then this handsome man must be Nelaros…" She grasped his arm and pulled him toward her.

Nelaros, obviously unsure of how to react smiled and laughed lightly. "I am a lucky man to be so warmly welcomed."

Soris looked at his cousin like she had suddenly lost her mind. "I'm….sure the two of you have a lot to discuss…" He grabbed his mouse by the arm and pulled her to the side, leaving Ruthi still staring absentmindedly into Nelaros' eyes.

Nelaros attempted to start a conversation or at the very least snap the pretty elven woman out of her daydream. "So…here we are…are you nervous?"

Ruthi's mind snapped back to reality and her cheeks turned a deep crimson as she realized how foolish she must have looked to not only Nelaros but also the crowd of others that surrounded them. She turned her gaze from his in embarrassment. "I…I was…until I saw you."

Nelaros found himself instantly attracted to the embarrassed elf that stood before him. Though he could tell she could be fiery at times he found himself strangely attracted to it; she was so different from any woman he had ever met before and he realized that he truly did feel _very_ lucky. He grabbed Ruthi by the shoulders and turned her to face him once again. "I swear to you, I will spend my every waking moment learning to make you happy."

Ruthi's heart melted as every negative feeling that she had about her nuptials vanished. She too found herself feeling very lucky.

"Come on, cousin. We should let them get ready." Soris grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from Nelaros.

Valora's high pitched voice squeaked over top of her betrothed's as she made her way toward the elder, Valendrian's house where she was to get ready. "We'll see you two in a bit. Don't disappear on us!"

Nelaros gave Ruthi a kiss on the cheek and began to follow after Valora. Ruthi grabbed his arm gently and pulled him to face her. "Can we talk again? Before the ceremony…please?"

Nelaros nodded and took Ruthi's hand in his, squeezing it gently. "I'll come find you…I promise."  
Ruthi watched as he disappeared into Valendrian's house.

Soris tapped her on the shoulder, once again snapping her into reality. "Don't look now, but we have another problem."

Ruthi began to look around "Is it Vaughan? Has he returned?"

Soris pointed toward the opposite side of the alienage. "No, another human just walked in. Could be one of Vaughan's I suppose…or just a random troublemaker."

Ruthi noticed the man, wearing armor like she had never seen before standing across from her. He was handsome, with long dark hair strapped back with a leather tie, an earring in his ear and a thick beard. She didn't figure he was one of Vaughan's but he was armed…he needed to go. Ruthi picked up on the worried look on her cousin's face and decided to have some fun with him first. "Let's just kill him…one less human we have to worry about later."

Soris' look instantly changed from one of worry to being completely mortified as he looked into his cousin's green eyes. "You really scare me sometimes, you know that?"

"Soris…I'm joking…"

"Good." Soris let out a deep sigh of relief. "Let's just get him out of here before we have another incident."

Ruthi rolled her eyes at Soris as they started toward the newcomer. _No one is going to ruin __**my**__ wedding._


End file.
